1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mimeographic printing machines, and more particularly to a mimeographic printing machine having stencil making means in which a mimeographic stencil paper is initially set in such a manner that the front leading end of the stencil paper is positioned in a mimeographic stencil paper passageway between the stencil making means and a rotary cylindrical printing drum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A mimeographic printing machine is well known in the art in which a continuous-sheet-shaped mimeographic stencil paper is supplied to stencil making means, where the stencil paper is processed to provide a stencil while being conveyed towards a rotary cylindrical printing drum by a platen roller and others in the stencil making means, and the stencil paper thus processed is conveyed to the rotary cylindrical printing drum by the platen roller and master feed rollers provided ahead of the platen roller so that the stencil is set on the drum. An example of the machine has been disclosed, for instance, by Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication (OPI) No. Sho. 59-143679 (the term "OPI" as used herein means an "unexamined publication").
In the above-described conventional machine, a new stencil paper is initially set in the stencil making section by hand. In this initial stencil paper setting operation, the stencil paper is liable to be variable in set position. In order to overcome this difficulty, after the stencil paper is set in the above-described manner, the following method is employed: That is, a stencil paper cutter is provided in the stencil paper passageway between the stencil making means and the rotary cylindrical printing drum. The front leading end portion of the stencil paper thus set is cut with the cutter so that the front leading end of the stencil paper is at the predetermined initial position.
However, the above-described method of setting the front leading end of the stencil paper at the predetermined initial position is disadvantageous in the following points: When the front leading end portion of the stencil paper is cut, a piece of stencil paper is formed as a waste at the end, remaining in the stencil paper passageway. It must be removed by the operator. If the machine is operated without removal of the waste from the stencil paper passageway, then it will obstruct the conveyance of the stencil paper in the machine, and may stick on the outer surface of the rotary cylindrical printing drum, thus adversely affecting the printing operation.
Furthermore, after the stencil paper is fed forward rapidly, its front leading end portion is cut with the stencil paper cutter as was described above. Hence, the cut portion of the stencil paper is wasted.